On the eve of the trial of a former Fort Campbell soldier accused of raping and killing his stepson, the child's mother was arrested far from Clarksville.

The man faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated rape in the death of the 23-month-old boy. The mother, arrested in Oregon, where she lives now, is charged with homicide.

A friend of the mother said in an interview with an Oregon TV station that the arrest is puzzling.

After all, the mother was reportedly away from the home she shared with the 23-year-old soldier at the time the alleged crimes took place.

However, an assistance district attorney announced recently in court that the state has new evidence in the case and is doing a reevaluation.

According to the indictment, the former Fort Campbell soldier sexually penetrated the boy and killed him in February of 2009.

His wife was gone from their Ballygar Street apartment to a store for two hours while the alleged acts took place.

When she returned, she told investigators, the boy was unresponsive. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died the next day.

However, the state now says there's new medical evidence to consider.

One friend told the TV station that, "You would think that if there had been some evidence against her it would have come out much sooner. It has been three years..."

Other friends and family members of the woman have contacted the TV station saying they're troubled and angered by the last-minute allegations.

Source: KRDV: "Arrest made in murder case," Yessenia Anderson, Feb. 12, 2012